Educator online job ads in QLD spike to near record levels whilst numbers in VIC drop again

The monthly count of online educator job advertisements in Queensland spiked in September taking the overall level close to within 2 per cent of the record high levels recorded in November 2023 new data released by Jobs and Skills Australia, as part of its Internet Vacancy Index (IVI) series, has confirmed. 

1,345 educator job ads were posted in Queensland in September 2024, 5 per cent higher than the preceding month and 5 per cent above last year’s levels and comfortably outstripping the growth rates in New South Wales and Victoria which recorded falls of 18 per cent and 27 per cent respectively. 

The divergence in job ad listings between Queensland and Victoria is particularly sharp with the latter seeing a gradual shrinking in the number of ads being posted for educators across the state. 

Looking at a slightly longer timeline the divergence in job ads posted between the two states has really only developed this year with previous quarterly counts more or less tracking in line. 

It is unclear what is driving this trend but if job ads are a proxy for demand for educators, then it would imply that seasonality and shortages may be combining in Queensland to force providers to advertise more, whereas the reverse seems to be unfolding in Victoria. 

From a national perspective the overall trend is a sideways move in total job ads posted with Queensland’s strength canceling out Victoria’s weakness and a sideways movement in New South Wales failing to make an impact.  

Across the smaller states the trends are less clear, with Western Australia showing some strength in September but still well below record levels and Adelaide pausing after a recent surge to record levels. 

That being said, the relative size of the non eastern seaboard states fails to really impact the overall index that is dominated by the substantial population of ECEC services in VIC, QLD and NSW.

Looking ahead, the introduction of the “worker retention payment” is likely to be a game changer for the educator workforce across the country with expectations that the additional pay levels will attract new educators into the sector, and previous leavers to return both of which should herald a period of lower job advertisements as demand needs are filled.